Dust-guard for car-axle boxes



H. I. HOLDBRNESS. DUST GUARD PoR GAR AXLE Bums.

No. 571666. @muted Nov. 17, 1896.

:mumumnumn l L%. Harry 1'. Hoernass/ l //j .f f

UNITED Sintes HARRY l. HOLDER-NESS, OF PINE BLUFF, ARKANSAS.

DUST-GUARD FOR CAR-AXLE BOXES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,666, datedNovember' 17, 1896.

ipplication filed 3R11@ 26, 1896. Serial No. 597,020. (No model.)

To @ZZ when?, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY l. HoLDEnNnss, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pine Bluff, in the county of Jefferson and State ofArkansas, have invented a new and useful Dust-Guard for Car-Axle Boxes,of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in dust-guards for car-axle boxes.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofdust-guards for car-axle boxes and to provide a simple, comparativelyinexpensive device capable of efn fectually excluding dust from thejournalbearing and of preventing the escape and the Waste of alubricant.

A further object of the invention is to provide a dust-guard which maybe readily introduced into an axle-box and removed therefrom, and Whichwill yieldingly engage the box and an axle to effect a tight joint andto accommodate itself to the vertical movement of the box on the axle.

In the drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of anaxle-box provided with a dust-guard constructed in accordance with thisinvention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional vievv. Fig. is a detailperspective view of the lower section of the dust-guard. Fig. a is asimilar view of the upper section of the dust-guard. Eig. 5 is anenlarged detail sectional view illustrating the manner of mounting theyielding plates of the lower dust-guard section.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thegures of the drawings.

l designates a car-axle box arranged on an axle in the usual manner, andreceiving a journal-bearing 3 and a journal-bearing key l, which areinterposed between the journal of the axle and the top of the axle-boxin the usual manner.

The oar-axle box, which is designed for use on passenger and freightcars, is provided at its rear or inner end with a vertically-disposeddust-gua-rd chamber 5, open at the top and formed by the rear wall ofthe journalbox, and a transverse partition arranged parallel with therear Wall, the latter and the partition being provided With openings forthe axle 2.

The dust-guard chamber receives a yielding dust-guard, consisting ofupper and lower sections G and 7, presenting concave semicircular inneredges to the axle and forming an aXle-openin g and held in close contactwith the axle by upper and lower curved springs S and 9.

The dustguard is rectangular to conform to the coniiguration of thedust-guard chamber 5, and the springs S and 9, which are preferablyleaf-springs, are centrally secured to the upper and lower edges of thesections 6 and 7 of the dust-guard, and have their terminals disposedsubstantiallyT horizontally and engaging, respectively, a removable capl0 andthe bottom of the axle-box. The springs hold the sections closelyagainst the axle to exclude dust from the axle-box and confine thelubricant therein.

The cap, which covers the top of the dustguard chamber, consists of abar or plate resting upon the axle-boi; and provided at its ends withdepending lugs ll, arranged at opposite sides of the axle-box, providedwith threaded perforations and receiving clamping-screws l2, whichengage the axle-box and retain the cap firmly.

The upper section G of the dust-guard is provided at opposite sides withdepending tongues 13, fitting in grooves or recesses 14., formed by theprojecting terminals of a pair of curved plates Which are mounted on thebody portion of the lower section, and which constitute the upper partthereof. By arranging the tongues 13 in the grooves or recesses la ofthe lower section the tivo sections are overlapped and no interveningspace is formed between them by the vertical movenient of the axle-boxon the axle, whereby the dust is effectually excluded at those points.

The curved plates 15, which are semicircular, are connected bytransversely-disposed pins 1G, and have springs 17 interposed betweenthem and adapted to spread them and hold them against the adjacent facesof the sides of the dust-guard chamber. The transverse pins are providedat their ends with heads arranged in recesses of the outer faces of theplates 15 to permit the latter to' contract and expand Without the pinscoming in contact with the axle-b ox and binding against IOO ille same.The lower or outer curved edges of the plates l5 are recessed and form avertical groove which receives a curved rib 1S of the body portion ofthe lower section. The upper edge of the body portion of the lowersection'of the dust-guard is semicircular, and is recessed or rabbetedat opposite sides to form the rib 18.

One of the faces of the upper section G of the dustguard is providedwith a semicircular recess 19, receiving a semicircular plate 20, whichis forced outward by a spiral spring 2l, which is adapted to engage theadjacent wall of the dust-guard chamber.

The yieldinglymounted plates ot" the upper and lower sections of thedust-guard preserve a tight joint between the dust-guard and theaxle-box, and eiectually exclude dust and prevent loss of the lubricant.

The upper section 6 of the dust-guard and the curved plates of the lowersection may be readily removed from the dust-chamber without removingthe axle-box from the axle. Aiter the cap is taken off the upper sectionmay be readily withdrawn from the dustguard chamber, and the plates l5of the lower section will slide freely around the axle and may bereadily taken out by engaging a comm on packing-hook with one of thetransverse pins lo'.

It will be seen that the dust-guard is simple and comparativelyinexpensive in construction, that it is adapted to be readily applied tothe ordinary axle-box, such as is used on passenger and freight trains,and that it etieetually excludes dust from the j ournal-bearing andcontines the lubricant within the axle-box.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the principle or sacricing any ofthe advantages of this invention.

That I claim is l. A dust-guard for axle-boxes comprising upper andlower sections capable of a limited vertical movement on each other, andthe plates yieldingly mounted on the sections, surrounding theaxle-opening and capable of springing outward horizontally to engagefrictionally the side walls of a dust-guard chamber to effect a tightjoint, substantially as described.

2. A dust-guard for axle-boxes, comprising` anupper section and a lowersection composed of a lower body portion, and a pair oi'yieldingly-mounted curved plates forming the upper portion of the lowersection, presenting curved edges to an axle and adapted to engageyieldingly the side walls of the axle-box, substantially as described.

A dust-guard for axle-boxes, comprising an upper section and a lowersection composed of a lower body portion provided at its upper edge witha rib, a pair of curved plates forming a groove for the reception of therib and constituting the upper portion of the lower section, transversepins loosely connecting the plates, and means for expanding the plates,substantially as andfor the purpose described.

et. Adust-guard for axle-boxes, comprising` an upper section provided atopposite sides with depending tongues, and a lower section composed of alower body portion, and a pair of curved plates yieldingly mounted onthe body portion and constituting the upper portion of the lower sectionand receiving the said tongues between their terminals, substantially asdescribed.

5. A dust-guard for axle-boxes, comprising an upper section provided atone of its faces with a recess and havinga yieldingly-mounted platearranged in the recess and presenting a lower semicircular edge toconform to the configuration of the axle, said upper sectionbeingprovided at opposite sides with depending tongues, and a lowersection composed of a lower body portion, and a pair ofyieldingly-mounted plates constituting the upper portion of the lowersection, adapted to engage the side walls of a dust-guard chamber andreceiving said tongues between their terminals, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HARRY I. HOLDERNESS.

Vitnesses:

V. O. ALEXANDER, E. A. SHEPPARD.

